President Trump deployed the D.C. National Guard, took control of the Metropolitan Police Department, and reassigned FBI agents from their regular duties to patrol the streets of Washington, D.C. this week. At a press conference on Monday, Trump identified rising crime rates and the threat of violent crime as the primary reasons for his attention to law enforcement in the District. In response, the New York Times and CNN have published reports showing crime rates have steadily dropped since the pandemic, and are dropping as part of a larger trend since the 1990’s. Also this week, a federal judge in California is considering whether President Trump violated the law when he deployed the National Guard in Los Angeles. Read on for more criminal law news.
Minnesota prosecutor seeks to overturn 1998 conviction. 27 years ago, Bryan Hooper Sr. was convicted by a jury of premeditated murder, felony murder while committing burglary, and felony murder while committing kidnapping. He received three life sentences with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office’s Conviction Integrity Unit was already in the process of reviewing Hooper’s case when they learned the state’s key witness in the 1998 trial recanted her testimony and confessed to committing the crime herself. Since the conviction, jailhouse informants who also implicated Hooper in the crime have recanted their testimony as well. Representing Hooper, attorneys for the Great North Innocence Project filed a petition to vacate his conviction. At a press conference, Moriarty addressed Hooper’s adult daughter, saying “I understand at the same time, ‘sorry’ doesn’t bring back those 27 years. What we’re doing today, though, I hope is the beginning of getting your father out of prison.”
North Carolina high school principal under investigation. Earlier this year, Franklinton High School principal Russell Holloman was suspended with pay after an incident involving the school’s baseball team. The incident, which occurred in March, includes allegations of sexual assault involving students. According to a court document obtained by WRAL News, the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the high school’s internal investigation, which “showed Russell Holloman was not truthful in reporting the incident to law enforcement.” Holloman is no longer listed as principal on the high school’s website, and both Holloman and the school district have not provided any comment to WRAL.
No miners without proper supervision. The N.C. Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked a North Carolina superior court to issue an injunction against the operation of a mine in Mitchell County. At the request of federal officials, the N.C. Department of Labor (DOL) visited the site earlier this year to provide safety training; however, while there, they found “multiple irregularities,” and mine employees were unable to provide proof of required environmental permits. The DOL officials contacted the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), whose investigators have since visited the site at least three times, each time confirming mine operations are still ongoing despite the lack of permits, in violation of state law. The DOJ is now moving for an injunction against the operation to require it to either halt operations until they are in compliance with state law or end operations altogether. The DOJ is also asking the judge to require the mine operators to cover disturbed areas while it seeks the proper permits, or to end operations and stabilize impacted areas. According to DOJ attorney Carolyn McLain, “if left uncorrected there is a substantial possibility that the mining would result in imminent peril to life or danger to property or to the environment.”
“True” crime. Last year, a YouTube channel called “True Crime Case Files” covered a 2014 crime from a city outside of Denver. The story was captivating and went viral, and people started contacting The Denver Post asking why the newspaper had never covered the story. The reason? The story was fake—generated by AI. Reporters with NPR were able to find and interview the channel’s creator, who identified himself as John. John told NPR that throughout the first year of the pandemic he watched a lot of “Dateline,” and began to see a pattern in the stories. He then “taught himself the show’s formula – a scandalous affair, some brutal crime and a stunning trial of a perpetrator to bring things home.” Using AI, John has since posted hundreds of false true crime stories, attracting enough subscribers and viewers to the point he is making enough money to live on. After a dispute with YouTube, John’s channel was removed, and he now uploads stories by podcast. Meanwhile, copycats have filled the gap, with YouTube channels with names like “Hidden Family Crime Stories,” “True Crime Cases,” and “Crime Tapes.”
Don’t hate this software update. They always seem to strike at the most inconvenient times—joining an important meeting, nearing a work deadline, or on your way to giving a presentation. But a key software update has made a major impact in reducing theft of Kia and Hyundai motor vehicles. It all started a few years ago, when viral videos on social media demonstrated how to hack certain Kia and Hyundai vehicles. Starting in mid-2022, the theft risk of these vehicles increased over the course of a year nearly six times the national average for other vehicles. Kia and Hyundai released software updates in response. Now, a report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows that the theft risk for updated vehicles has dropped significantly, and is nearing the national average for other vehicles again. As car thieves continue to leverage technology (such as cloning key fobs through closed doors), car manufacturers will need to work hard to stay ahead.
Don’t start a GoFundMe just yet. A driver in the Swiss city of Lausanne was recently caught by a speed measuring camera driving 77 kph (48 mph) in a 50 kph (31 mph) zone. Now the driver faces a fine up to 90,000 Swiss francs (over $110,000). Switzerland, like many other European countries, assesses fines based on factors that include the individual’s income, wealth, and their family’s finances. While the identity of the driver has not been released, the newspaper first reporting the case said the man was a French citizen worth hundreds of millions of dollars and listed among the 300 richest people in Switzerland. But take note: Switzerland is very serious about speeding no matter who you are. In 2016 a police officer was convicted of speeding while pursuing suspects who had blown up a bank teller machine. The officer appealed his case to Switzerland’s highest court, which upheld his conviction and fine of 600 francs (nearly $750), which had already been reduced by a lower appellate court.